All athletes would like to participate in the Olympic Games at least once, but this is not the case for all tennis players, as also revealed by US rising star Ben Shelton.
“I’ve thought about it a lot. At the moment I can say that I’m quite inclined not to go this year, in case I qualify. I think they fit into the tennis schedule in a complicated way.”
The 21-year-old from Atlanta, during a press conference in Indian Wells, announced that he did not want to take part in the 2024 tennis tournament of the Olympic Games, seeing the four-year appointment as a further commitment in the already very tight ATP schedule.
The ATP No.16, competing at the BNP Paribas Open, has expressed his intention to skip the Paris Olympics in case of qualification. A rather controversial decision, especially for a boy who is particularly attached to his nation.
Ben Shelton© Julian Finney / Staff Getty Images Sport
Shelton started his season with a score of 9-5, achieving the semifinal at the ATP 250 in Dallas as his best result. Shelton also talked about his plans for this season, revealing that he could possibly participate in the next Olympics, which the American could play at home: Los Angeles 2028.
The American hard-court is certainly the surface he prefers most, on which he achieved the best result of his career, the semi-finals of the US Open last year. Precisely for this reason he could skip the 2024 Olympic tournament, which will be played on the clay-courts of the Roland Garros Stadium, to focus on the long summer which will be played on the North American hard-courts.
The relationship between tennis and the Olympics
The Paris Olympics are the most important goal of the year for many tennis players, who dream of representing their country and winning a historic medal. From Novak Djokovic, who only needs Olympic gold to complete his extraordinary palmares, to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, among the favorites to achieve success in the event at a young age.
However, there is someone who is seriously intent on skipping this appointment. This is Ben Shelton, the rising American talent who exploded last season and established himself at the top of world tennis.
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